Determination of marine gamma activity and study of the minimum detectable activity (MDA) in 4pi geometry based on Monte Carlo simulation.

Monte Carlo simulations were performed using the GEANT4 code for the investigation of gamma-ray absorption in water in different spherical geometries and of the efficiency of a NaI(Tl) detector for different radionuclides in the aquatic environment. In order to test the reliability of these simulations, experimental values of the NaI(Tl) detector efficiency were deduced and seem to be in good agreement with the simulated ones. In addition, using the simulated efficiency, an algorithm was developed to determine the minimum detectable activity in becquerels per cubic meter in situ as a function of energy for typical freshwater and seawater spectra.

An autonomous in situ detection system for radioactivity measurements in the marine environment.

A new detection system named "KATERINA" is developed and applied for measuring marine radioactivity using NaI(Tl) as a crystal. This apparatus is designed for qualitative and quantitative radionuclide detection in the marine environment with maximum depth of deployment 400 m. A detailed study for the enclosure of the system and for the electronics development is performed. The system offers volumetric activities in Bq/m(3) using the marine efficiency calibration, which is measured by dilution of three reference sources ((99m)Tc, (137)Cs, and (40)K) in a special tank. The calibration procedures for energy, energy resolution and efficiency were analyzed with particular attention to the factors that affect the calibration parameters. The underwater detector is tested in the field for acquiring radon daughters ((214)Pb and (214)Bi) in a region where submarine groundwater discharge exists in the coastal zone.

Monte Carlo simulation of gamma-ray spectra from natural radionuclides recorded by a NaI detector in the marine environment.

The GEANT4 Monte Carlo code has been used to simulate gamma-ray spectra of natural radionuclides collected by a NaI scintillation detector immersed in seawater. The gamma-rays emitted from the decay of (40)K, and the series of (232)Th and (238)U, were used to describe the radioactive water source around the NaI crystal. The simulated gamma-ray spectra were compared with real data recorded in situ by a newly constructed NaI spectrometer and were found to be in good agreement. The NaI spectrometer was calibrated in the laboratory in a water tank, before its deployment in seawater. Activity concentrations were deduced from the gamma-ray spectra and discussed in comparison with results from the literature.